While Sabel was more than fine with his decision not to duel any of the students, there was a faint disappointment in such a decision. Especially when he was greeted with such a response as Browne gave him. Some of the students, he was sure, would be incredibly interesting to duel. And he had no illusions that he could learn a thing or two from them.

As it was, the boy's whole demeanour and relation to both his look and the demonstration of the bow had the slightest of smiles touching the corner of his lips. Straightening, Sabel nodded to the kid. "Thank you, Mr. Browne."

And yes, he would most certainly be writing to Emily about this.



His attention flicked from the Gryffindor to the Snake that had taken place beside him. And the smile he had? It faded, but only from his lips. His eyes still held it as he took note of the young girl's stance and determination.

There was no doubt about it. The tournament would be an interesting one.

The pair standing side-by-side ticked off a reminder in his mind. "One thing I should note now, is that of partners and challenges. While the duel will be assigned, and you will have no further choice as to who you duel than how you do with your points, this room is available for your practice as you see fit. During the tournament, you will be matched by grades. During your own time, you may challenge who you like."

His gaze shifted, roaming across the gathered students. "There is an rule to this. You may only challenge students in your year, or one year above or below you. An exception exists here, in that younger students are allowed to challenge older students, regardless of separation in age." A half-smirk touched his lips. "Do so at your own risk."



His gaze snagged on Rehman, and held there for a few moments. Truth was, he was surely expecting a question or comment from the energetic Hufflepuff. That there was none after a few minutes of scrutinizing was a bit surprising.

So much so, that Sabel quickly ran through the list of things to tackle in his mind. He supposed he could tag on a bit more information. "At the end of the tournament, the winners will have the opportunity to duel an intriguing opponent. I will not tell you who that will be for each grade, but you can rest assured that said opponent will be a well earned challenge. There will also be an award of points."

Here his expression changed once again, to that serious tone that allowed for no foolishness. "The greatest reward of participating, however, will be the skills you learn. Life long and lasting skills, that might one day save your life, or the life of someone else. What you put into this club, ladies and gentlemen, is what you will get out of it."



And speaking of input versus output, Sabel's gaze landed on the still shoeless and sockless Prince. Perhaps he had not made himself clear enough by being gracious to not individualize the kid. A breath left him as he continued. "All rules are to be followed and adhered to without deviation. Due to the dangerous nature of this club, ignorance of those rules will not be tolerated. Keep yourself safe and your classmates safe by following them."

Really, common sense. But he was all too aware of where common sense went in the heat of a duel. Even a duel among friends. A disturbing memory flashed through him, sending a cold shiver through his spine. One he shook off before he could think on it much longer.

"Prince. If you could please put your shoes and socks on. It should be habit in this room, as I expect to see a good deal of debris and uneven footing in the upcoming weeks."

Which brought him to his next point. A fun one. His gaze took in all the duelers gathered. "Which means that you have permission to use your environment as needed. There is sometimes no greater ally than the rock beneath your feet or the sky above your head. Don't worry about any destruction you will cause. The castle is easy enough to repair. Just......don't bring the roof down or eradicate the floor." Just a small request. "Duels should be confined to this room, though I am very aware that is rarely the case in real circumstances."



"Are we not?" The kid got quite the raised eyebrow. "First lesson. Never assume you know." And then there was the hint of a small smile. "If I didn't have so much to go over, I might take such a sentiment as an invitation to become your opponent."

Hopefully, the kid would understand the meaning and the lesson behind those words.

Straightening his expression, Sabel considered the boy. "True enough, but you've forgotten a third option. Laughter is commonly an expression of nervousness." His words turned to the rest of the club. "If you are going to use your expressions and your words to throw off your opponent, as is a good tactic, make sure that you are convincing in every other way. The slightest deviation can be noticed in as small a thing as how you hold your wand. And it can mean death, or life. So if you aim to deceive, do it as if it is a truth your life counts on."

As for the exclamation about the lack of helmets, that had Sabel smiling. "Can't distract you too much from the game of reality. You wouldn't wear a helmet everyday. You would wear clothes. It is best to practice without it, as you'll learn to guard it very quickly. A limb you can do without. A head, you cannot."

And perhaps, that was a bit of unconventional teaching right there.

His gaze went back to Hyland, and he shook his head slightly, though he spoke to the whole room. He was sure everyone had the same question about the purpose of the bowing. "If and when you enter a situation where it is a death duel, you will be very fortunate if you know so beforehand. Most times such circumstances come without warning, comment or indication. So always be on your guard. The bow here is to remind ourselves that we are not in such a duel, though we practice for it, and to remind ourselves that we are dueling friends, not enemies."

Turning his wand between his fingers, Sabel hesitated a long moment before speaking again. "I am asking you to train with the mindset that your life will matter in the tournament, but it is important that we know, and acknowledge that is not the case. While you may not understand it now, and I hope you never have to, there is a very significant difference between having that glimmer of understanding, and not. Regardless of if you are dueling friends, or enemies."

His gaze returned to Hyland. "We bow, here in this club, to show respect to one another, and a respect for the laws and rules of the club. In the world out there, your bow is the moment you draw your wand."



Letting that final statement ring through the air, Sabel took the moment of silence to look around at the faces at the club. A lot of the early evening energy had worn off, and there was a solemn commitment and attentiveness he had only hoped for before now. They were listening. Good.

"After the bow, as long as you respect the rules, you are free to use spells to your need and imagination. Do not be afraid to combine spells, or use them in new and interesting ways. While I do not want you taking these duels down the hallways, do not remain stagnant. Practice moving your feet. Practice using your environment. Practice doing the unexpected, and practice being expected. How you learn to duel here, will stick with you and reflect in your duels in the future. Here it is safe to learn and experiment. Here, you should learn how to adapt."



Looking around the rest of the room, Sabel's gaze hinged on Rider. For a long moment, he watched the kid hanging back in the shadows. Finally, he nodded to himself. "Rider, a word with you after the meeting."

There really wasn't a better way to ask, and it was always a question of when he might run into the kid again. The castle had got surprisingly big.

His attention returned to the rest of the students. "As for what spells you may and may not use, there will be a list up before your first duel. Obviously, unforgivable curses are excluded, as are some of the dark art spells that opponents in your real life will likely use. This, is for your own safety. If you have questions about these spells, about how to defend against them, I will do my best to answer them. But they are not to be experimented with in these walls."

Shifting his stance, Sabel clasped his hands behind his back. "There will be Spell Assignments and Challenges for you to accomplish as you see fit during your practice time. The Spell Assignments will allow you to use new spells in your duels. The Challenges will encourage you to develop your dueling skills, thoughts and regulation of your emotions and there may be bonuses afforded with the completion of these."

Simple enough, right?

"You will not have a Spell Assignment this meeting. I would like you all to go into your first duel without extra spells crowding your heads. Learn how to think, learn how to move, learn how to adapt. To assist you with this, there will be a Challenge posted on the board at the end of the hall," he made a motion there, "at the end of this meeting. Once you pick up your uniforms when I dismiss you, you may go there and check it out."

And they could start tonight if they were super stoked. He had no doubt some would.

Returning his hands behind his back, Sabel rocked on his heels, letting all the information soak in. Were there more questions?

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OOC: Howdy all! Thought I'd tackle some of the responses that came up now, and gradually move us along. We are still taking questions and comments! (Again that's the main purpose of this meeting, so please ask away :3)

Meeting will close tomorrow at around midnight GMT-6. Sorry this one is so short >.O

And I will have that spell list up for you before your first duel.